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A&M students tell what
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Vol. 90 Mo. 66 USPS 045360 8 Pages
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, December 5, 1990
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PHELAN M. EBENHACK/The Battalion
Sand-colored armored military vehicles pass through College dam Hussein backed away from his confrontation with the Krem-
Station Tuesday afternoon heading south. In Iraq Tuesday, Sad- lin, promising to release the 3,300 Soviets he was holding.
A&M studies organic agriculture
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By LYNETTE CLARK
Of The Battalion Staff
Due in part to a global increase in environ
mental concern, a group of Texas A&M students
is joining the study of sustainable agriculture for
the world’s future.
Sustainable agriculture is not a new idea and
these students are not the first to deal with the
complex practices, says Dr. Fred Smeins of the
Department of Range Science.
Smeins says the term “sustainable agriculture”
includes a whole spectrum of ideas and practices.
At one extreme is organic farming, considered
the most sustainable because no chemicals are
added to the land, Smeins says. Sustainable agri
culture, however, also includes methods which
‘ um merely reduce chemical and energy inputs, using
ice presidt th em j n a more efficient way.
The new sustainable agriculture program at
[A&M is an experimental program funded by the
Clayton Foundation. But the program is rep-
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resentative of what is going on across the nation
— an increased interest in sustainable agriculture
and the environment, Smeins says.
Recently students were given the opportunity
to influence policies of sustainable agriculture in
the United States. Members of the sustainable ag
riculture class and Conservation and Sustainable
Community Development Coalition met last
weekend at A&M to discuss issues, Smeins says.
The Coalition represents state agricultural
agencies and various private foundations in
Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The purpose of the meeting was to better de
fine some sustainable agriculture practices and
applications and find better ways to commu
nicate ideas of sustainable agriculture to farmers.
“The conference went extremely well,” Smeins
says. “This could be a real tool for Texas A&M to
advertise to many different groups that we are
doing something in this arena.”
Chris Rhodes, a junior chemistry major in the
program, says the students gave presentations on
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Brazos Valley and Texas consum
ers are spending more money this
season than last year, despite results
of a survey that says holiday spend
nationwide is down, a Texas A&M
faculty member says.
Dr. Larry Gresham, an associate
professor of marketing and associate
director of the Center for Retailing
Studies in the A&M College of Busi-
^ness, says one of the reasons for the
increase in holiday shopping is the
positive attitude about the state’s
economy.
“My speculation is, in Texas, we
have been in the economic down
turn for so long,” Gresham says.
“And, while other parts of the coun
try are just now experiencing the
economic downturn, Texans are still
pretty optimistic they are on their
way out.”
Gresham says A&M’s College of
“My speculation is, in Texas, we have been in
the economic downturn for so long, and, while
other parts of the country are just now
experiencing the economic downturn, Texans
are still pretty optimistic they are on their way
out.”
— Dr. Larry Gresham,
Center for Retailing Studies
Business conducted a shopping sur
vey with Arthur-Anderson, an ac
counting firm based in Dallas.
Gresham says the “weekly holiday
snapshot” surveyed retailer accounts
from more than 200 stores, and
asked retailers to compare total
spending figures for last year and
this year.
“Our basic finding thus far is most
of them (retailers) aren’t doing as
well as last year,” he says. “But retail
ers in Texas are doing very well.”
Gresham says a major reason for
the nation’s lull in spending is con
sumer uncertainty about the U.S.
economic situation caused by the
Persian Gulf crisis.
“The Gulf crisis is creating con
sumer uncertainty and that is why
people aren’t rushing out to buy,” he
says. “People don’t know how it is
going to affect them personally, but
it just might.”
Gresham says people nevertheless
will spend money this season, but
they are actually spending less
money because they will be purchas
ing less expensive items.
“For example, people will buy a
cotton sweater instead of a cashmere
one,” he says. “It is the upper-end
items that will probably suffer.”
The survey results also conclude
that department stores which carry
more expensive merchandise, in ad
dition to automobile dealers, fur
stores and jewelry stores, will feel the
spending crunch the hardest.
Although Texans are spending
more money, the survey shows that
Texas consumers also are not buying
as much of the expensive merchan
dise, Gresham says.
He also says many newspapers are
reporting that seasonal sales are up
about 1 or 2 percent from last year.
“That is not true, because if you
factor in inflation for about 5 per
cent, they are actually running be
hind in terms of real dollars,” he
says. “Here in Texas, it looks like we
are ahead 6 or 7 percent, even when
you take in account the inflation fac
tor.”
Collision raises questions
Human error tops
investigators’ list
ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) — The
captain of a DC-9 that collided in fog
with another jetliner on an airport
runway — a collision that killed eight
people — returned to the cockpit
only last week from a five-year medi
cal leave, officials said Tuesday.
Investigators were trying to deter
mine whether the Northwest Air
lines captain, William Lovelace, or
his first officer, James F. Chifferns,
was at the controls Monday when
their plane ran into a Boeing 727
racing for takeoff at Detroit Metro
politan Airport.
Chifferns, who spent 20 years in
the Air Force, was hired by North
west in March, his first job in com
mercial aviation.
National Transportation Safety
Board investigators said they were
looking at such factors as human er
ror, weather and equipment as possi
ble causes of the accident.
A fireball fed by fuel burned away
the top of the Pittsburgh-bound DC-
9 after the right wmgtip of the
Northwest 727 tore open the DC-9’s
fuselage and dislodged an engine.
Noxious fumes killed seven men
and a woman among the 43 people
aboard the DC-9, said Wayne
County Chief Medical Examiner
Bader Cassin. Seven people re
mained hospitalized, two of them in
critical condition.
I.C. Payne, a passenger on the
DC-9, said he couldn’t see much out
his window and just remembers a
E iece of shrapnel striking him on the
ead.
“It nearly knocked me out of my
seat,” Payne said. “The first thing I
did was reach up to see if all my head
was still on. Then I heard someone
in the front of the plane yell out that
the engine just blew.”
The woman killed was Heidi
Joost, 43, of Dearborn, a flight atten
dant who worked for Northwest
since 1968. The names of the others
were unavailable from the medical
examiner because their bodies were
so badly charred. Cassin said dental
records were l?eing sought to make
positive identification, which North
west spokesman Kevin Whalen said
could come today.
Another Northwest spokesman,
Bob Gibbons, said the flight was
Lovelace’s first without another pilot
observing since he returned to flying
Nov. 25.
various topics related to sustainable agriculture,
followed by discussions with the coalition.
“Hopefully, our perspectives and discussions
will aid the coalition in developing new policies
and an integrated approach to sustainable agri
culture,” Rhodes says.
He says many ideas, thoughts and analyses
were presented at the meeting, which could carry
into actions for the necessary changes.
Dwight Barry, a junior philosophy major in
the class, says the change from conventional agri
cultural practices to sustainable ones is inevitable.
“With the growing environmental and social
problems all over the world, sustainable agricul
ture is no doubt going to be the future,” Barry
says. “The only other alternative is our extinc
tion.”
The sustainable agriculture program contin
ues next semester. One $1,500 scholarship is
awarded per year to a student in the class. Schol
arship applications will be accepted from juniors
early in the spring.
Feast without fret
Doctor offers guidelines
for healthy holiday diet
By KAREN PRASLICKA
Of The Battalion Staff
If you have ever “pigged out” on
your favorite foods during holidays,
telling yourself it’s OK because you
will go on a diet, you are not alone,
said a University nutrition specialist.
Dr. Jane Cohen of the A.P. Beutel
Health Center offered several
guidelines during a seminar Tues
day for enjoying food during the
holidays without feeling guilty.
Cohen said many people have an
“all-or-nothing” attitude about eat
ing.
T his means they either eat as
much as they want or they eat noth
ing they think might be fattening or
unhealthy, she said.
Cohen said she encourages people
to free themselves of this attitude by
saying it is OK to eat high-calorie
foods in moderation.
Cohen said people can reduce the
number of calories they intake by
modifying eating behavior.,
She said people should set a limit
to how much they eat and then avoid
eating beyond that limit.
Cohen also said people should eat
foods with fewer calories and avoid
fattening and unhealthy foods.
She said people also have other
options to cut down on calories dur
ing holidays besides cutting back on
how much they eat. Exercising and
being with friends during holidays
are two ways to focus attention on
something besides food, she said.
“Instead of taking a nap after a
big holiday meal, go for a walk or go
Christmas caroling,” she said.
Cohen also suggested starting a
new tradition this year by substitu
ting some of the high-calorie courses
“Plan for your snacks,
plan for the holiday,
and use moderation.”
— Dr. Jane Cohen,
health center nutritionist
on the holiday menu with low-cal
orie ones.
Modifying high-calorie recipes to
reduce the number of calories also is
an option, she said.
One of the most important things,
however, is for people to stick to
their eating plan during the holiday
season, she said.
“Don’t get frustrated,” Cohen
said. “It’s OK to eat your favorite
foods.
“Plan for your snacks, plan for the
holiday and use moderation.”
Any students with questions con
cerning diet and nutrition can call
and set up an appointment with Co
hen at 845-6111.
Fall exams start Friday
Final examinations for the
1990 fall semester begin Friday
and last through Wednesday.
The following is the final exami
nation schedule:
FRIDAY
• For classes on MW 4:30 —
Exam from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
• For classes on MWF 8 a.m.
— Exam from 10 to 12 p.m.
• For classes on TR 12:30 p.m.
— Exam from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
• For classes on TR II a.m. —
Exam from 3 to 5 p.m.
MONDAY
• For classes on MWF 9 a.m.
— Exam from 8 to 10 a.m.
• For classes on MWF noon —
Exam from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30
p.m.
• For classes on TR 8 a.m. —
Exam from 1 to 3 p.m.
• For classes on MW 3 p.m. —
Exam from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
• For classes on MWF 10 a.m.
— Exam from 8 to 10 a.m.
• For classes on MWF 2 p.m.
— Exam from 10:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m.
• For classes on TR 3:30 p.m.
— Exam from 1 to 3 p.m.
• For classes on MWF 1 p.m.
— Exam from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
• For classes on TR 9:30 a.m.
— Exam from 8 to 10 a.m.
• For classes on MWF II a.m.
— Exam from 10:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m.
• For classes on TR 2 p.m. —
Exam from 1 to 3 p.m.
• For classes on TR 5 p.m. or
later — Exam from 3:30 to 5:30
p.m.
Police criticized for ‘surprise riot’
MIAMI (AP) -— Merchants crit
icized police response as they angrily
cleaned up Tuesday from a night of
looting and fires triggered by the ac
quittal of six police officers in the fa
tal beating of a Puerto Rican drug
dealer.
Fire officials estimated the fire
damage alone at $2.9 million.
Police Chief Perry Anderson said
police could have moved in earlier,
but defended his department saying
there were no deaths or violent
clashes with police.
Mayor Xavier Suarez met with
leaders in the largely Puerto Rican
Wynwood community to look into
reasons for the rioting, which police
and city officials admitted caught
them by surprise.
Merchants complained that police
took too long to move in Monday
night after hundreds of youths
swarmed through usually tranquil
streets, looting stores and burning
down businesses.
The riot followed the acquittal of
six police officers accused of beating
to death Leonardo Mercado, a
Puerto Rican murder acquittal
triggers Miami looters, fires
Puerto Rican-born cocaine dealer.
“The police knew it was going to
happen and they just sat back and
did nothing, absolutely nothing,”
said Richard Munoz, who owns Los
Hispanos Supermarket.
Munoz said his small grocery store
was not damaged because he scared
off the looters.
“I spent all night armed and on
the roof,” Munoz said.
Other merchants were busy
sweeping up broken glass and clean
ing soot.
Police estimate about 300 people
were involved in the rioting at its
height. Ten to 15 people were ar
rested on charges of disorderly con
duct and inciting to riot, said George
Law, a police spokesman.
Residents said many looters were
not from their neighborhood, but
came in from other parts of the city
to take advantage of the anger in the
northwestern Miami community.
The trouble began shortly after
nightfall, nearly six hours after a
federal jury found the members of
an elite drug squad innocent of con
spiracy in the killing of Mercado,
who was from the neighborhood.
The jury deadlocked on more se
rious charges of violating the civil
rights of Mercado when he was
beaten to death two years ago and
Judge Stanley Marcus declared a
mistrial.
Mercado’s sister-in-law, Rosa Al-
lende, said some Puerto Ricans feel
the need for revenge.
“It’s not going to change things,
but it’s a start to let them know it’s
not only the blacks who get angry,”
she said. “They said he (Mercado)
was a low-life cockroach. But he had
children. A life is a life.”
Some business owners said they
got telephone calls in the afternoon,
warning them there might be trou
ble and to close down their shops.
“They (the police) knew all about
it,” said Ricky Perez, whose parents’
shoe store was vandalized.
“We called the police and they
told us to close down the store and
go home,” Perez said. “They (the po
lice) were just down the streets,
watching them taking TVs and they
didn’t do nothing about it.”
“We were caught a little bit by sur
prise,” Suarez said. “We’re going to
have to investigate ..•. and see if it
wasn’t some sort of predisposed or
pre-organized element to this.”
“With this particular situation we
took two hours to respond, and we
should have gone in a lot quicker,”
Anderson said. “So what I’m saying
is, you’re damned if you do and
damned if you don’t.”
Fire investigator John Calpini said
two stores were destroyed by fire.
Other damage appeared limited to a
few buildings.